Says Amendments Would Negatively Impact PACT’s Function

Osmany Salas

Another concern with the N-PAS Bill is that it would establish a National Protected Areas Council, but only in an advisory capacity and not an administrative capacity as sought by co-management N.G.O.s and other stakeholders. In terms of the PACT ACT, there are also concerns – one of which is the proposal to expand the roles and functions of PACT, which would mean less money for the actually conservation N.G.O.s on the ground.

Via phone: Osmany Salas, President, B.T.I.A.

“PACT as currently structured is a trust. It was established to receive monies in trust for the furtherance of the purposes of the trust which really and truly is to support financially the management of Belize’s protected areas. That is why PACT was set up and that is how it is currently structured. The proposed amendments to the PACT Act would seek to expand the roles and functions of the PACT and give it more of a bureaucratic and management function over the protected areas which would be a deviation of the purpose for which PACT was established. PACT was not established to coordinate and supervise the management of protected areas. Its original intent has been and still is as a funding mechanism for [protected areas. If the amendments as currently proposed go through, it would add bureaucracy and possible micro-management of protected areas, and it would increase the overhead or administrative costs of running PACT which already struggles with a relatively high overhead and admin costs.”